In the developing connected and secure home, the services layer can garner value from the multitude of information coming from the multitude of sensors pre-existing or added in homes, buildings, and other locations. For example, at present many homes include multiple different sensors that transmit information about one or more components/systems within the homes, such as information indicating whether doors/windows are open or closed, motion sensor information, alarm status information, environmental information, and other information that sensors are capable of detecting. A large portion of installed sensors are wireless—meaning that they transmit at least some information wirelessly using one or more wireless protocols. The information from these sensors can have a variety of uses, such as being used to chart, classify and model consumer habits, initiate actions outside the home, automate devices and functions inside the home, and provide core security, life safety and home infrastructure monitoring and response.
Enrolling sensors with a third-party wireless system (e.g., a system not preconfigured to use or connect with particular sensors) can be a non-trivial operation. For instance, the wireless air can be considered one large, common channel over which all sensors are talking. Generally, an installer can enroll a sensor with a wireless system by causing a unique, uncommon transmission to be sent by the sensor, in order to ensure the correct sensor among many is being enrolled. Or, in another example, a unique identifier can be known for a sensor and entered into the wireless system. In a further example, installing old sensors with a wireless system (e.g., in takeover installations of old sensors) can include the installer identifying the make, model and function of each old sensor, which can be time-consuming and can require a fair amount of installer expertise. Regardless of how it is accomplished, the enrollment paradigm may be considered “closed,” in a sense that an installer or user knows the sensors that are to be enrolled as part of the system, and some user action with the sensor is performed so that the desired sensor is installed.
Conventional closed systems provide technological and other barriers to recognizing sensors. For example, recognizing, enrolling and configuring wireless sensors in conventional closed systems is generally non-trivial because the wireless air surrounding the sensors is a large, common channel where all sensors are talking. Generally, an installer must cause a unique, uncommon transmission to be sent from a sensor in order to assure that the correct sensor among many is being enrolled. Alternatively, a unique radio frequency identifier (RFID) must be known and entered. Further, in take-over installations of old sensors, installers must identify the make, model and function of each old sensor in order to properly enroll and configure each old sensor. All of these types of actions can require significant time, expertise and cost.